Iran

IRAN – ONE SMALL STEP FROM BAPTISM TO DETENTION

With updates from India

Prayer in Desert Muynak 5 1800 x 850

An Iranian mother and son have paid a heavy price for turning to Christ – just months after they were baptised.

Veronika and Augustine were arrested in Urmia, northwest Iran, on February 20 and haven’t been seen since.

Please pray that they will put their total trust in God during their ordeal.

Veronika and Augustine, who were baptised in Istanbul last August, were detained after Revolutionary Guard intelligence officials raided their home last month and discovered Christian books and materials.

Since their arrest, there has been no official information about where they’re being held or how they are. Friends believe they are being held at the intelligence building of the Revolutionary Guards, where information about detainees is not given.

  • Pray that Veronika and Augustine will know ‘the Lord is near to all who call upon Him… in truth’ (Psalm 145:18). Pray they will be released immediately.
  • Pray Veronika and Augustine’s strong faith will touch many lives, even while they are detained. Pray that their guards will be moved by their witness.
  • Pray that God will bless and strengthen His people in Iran and reassure them that their lives are in His hands.

(Source: Middle East Concern)

UPDATE

Please continue to pray for our Indian brother Tom Uzhunnalil who was abducted from a Christian care home in Yemen a year ago. Sixteen people, mostly workers, were killed when gunmen believed to have links to Islamic State raided the home in Aden last March. Tom appealed for help in a video which his kidnappers released on Christmas Day. A special prayer meeting was held in Tom’s home state of Kerala in India on March 4, the first anniversary of his capture. The Indian Government is facing renewed calls to step up diplomatic efforts to secure his release.

(Sources: Premier, The Hindu)